Belmont Hill School

Learning

The work, from discussion to the workshop

Part of senior year ends up on a wall. Belmont Hill seniors carve and finish a wood panel for permanent display at school.

The work is a pass/fail course that meets several times a week throughout the year, alongside their other classes.

Earlier, ninth grade—Form III here—still belongs to the Middle School.

Boys take an ethics seminar with the Head of School, one afternoon a week for a third of the year. They discuss cases from current events and school life, explaining why they hold a position.

They also have a daily proctored study hall.

Juniors and seniors can apply for Advanced Science Research, a two-year elective involving independent work in a university, hospital or professional lab, with a school faculty member providing support. It is a selective opportunity, not every student's timetable.

Applying

The application

Apply through Ravenna. Submit the pre-interview questionnaire to book the required tour and interview for applicant and parent.

Appointments are on campus or virtual October–December; January appointments are virtual only.

Grades 7–8 applicants take the ISEE; grades 9–11 take the SSAT, with official PSAT, SAT or ACT scores accepted instead. The file also needs school reports, transcripts and current English, current math and prior-year core-teacher recommendations.

Follow the grade-specific checklist.

International families need a Boston-area parent living with the student. Belmont Hill does not issue student-visa I-20s or offer English-language-learning classes.

TOEFL and IELTS cannot replace the required entrance tests.

Getting there

Day, bus, or five-day boarding

For day students, the school contracts a bus company for routes around greater Boston. Morning buses are timed for the 8:00 a.m. start, with buses running 30 minutes later on late-start Thursdays.

Afternoon buses leave at 4:55 p.m., or 5:30 on game days.

A student who misses the bus because of an away game, a late practice, or another school commitment needs a ride the family arranges, so settle a backup plan before the first away game.

Boarding is five days only. Boarders normally leave Friday afternoon and return Sunday night or Monday morning, the dorms are closed on weekends, and there is no seven-day option.

There is room for up to 27 boarders, typically in grades 9–12. Evenings include a faculty-supervised study hall and a curfew.

Support

When a student needs help

Students can go to teachers for extra help; a teacher may suggest a peer tutor, often for math or languages. Division leaders or the academic support director can arrange weekly meetings with a learning specialist when more help is needed.

Ask how families participate in that decision and how progress is reviewed.

The school also describes professional tutors who work individually with students referred by faculty to its academic support office. That tutoring is included in tuition.

School counseling is short term, with referrals to outside providers when needed. Families needing ongoing therapy should discuss the plan with the team.

Advisors, teachers and coaches also share concerns with a Health Team that coordinates support.

Day to day, the advisor is the link to home. A student gets a new advisor each year, usually someone who also teaches them that year.

The advisor reviews grades and comments with them each marking period and is the key contact for parents when challenges or injuries arise, which makes the advisor a sensible first conversation.

Cost and aid

Tuition, aid, and extras

Tuition covers meals and activity, arts and athletic fees. Books, dress-code clothing and some sports gear cost extra.

Aid is based on financial need; there are no merit awards. Belmont Hill commits to meeting each family's full demonstrated need.

It initially reads applications without considering ability to pay, but the FAQ says available aid funds can affect final admission decisions.

Apply through Clarity by the application deadline; awards arrive with admission decisions. On-time families are considered first.

Enrolled families reapply annually. Both households apply if parents are separated or divorced.

The school says the aid percentage stays similar if finances do; tuition increases can still raise your bill.

The aid percentage also reaches many costs beyond tuition, with caps and approved vendors. For books, the school applies your aid percentage to an $800 allowance, delivered as a code for its online bookstore.

Purchases elsewhere are not covered. The bus works the same way against the posted fare, which was $4,500 round trip in 2026–27.

Ask what balance your own award leaves to pay. The school says the financial aid office may support individual requests beyond its list, depending on available funds.

Hardship fee waivers exist for the $40 Ravenna application, the Clarity application, and ISEE or SSAT registration. The tuition page explains how to request each.

Belmont Hill on specialist help, aid and late entry

For a boys' school with five-day boarding and Grade 7 entry, the key questions are about support, need-sensitive aid and how a later entrant catches up.